A Magical White Christmas: Senior Thespians Dazzle Audiences

When our fabulous stage crew actually made it snow in the John Moore Theatre, it was the magical icing on the cake of an amazing production of White Christmas!

Momentum on this term’s senior musical really ‘snowballed’ as the cast immersed themselves more and more into this nostalgic, uplifting show. Leading the company was a fabulous quartet – Tigo M and Henry F playing ex-army buddies and Broadway headliners, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, and Sophia B and Bella C playing Betty and Judy Haynes, the up-and-coming sister act, whose chance encounter with the stars reunites the men with their old company commander. The four of them really had their work cut out, stepping into the shoes of the stars of the original movie – including the legendary Bing Crosby. Each carved out their own role and created their own iconic moments, including Tigo and Sophia’s emotional rendition of Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me/How Deep Is the Ocean, and Henry and Bella’s playful show number, I Love a Piano – complete with tap routine!

U6 student Eric D rounded off his King’s Drama career with a superb performance as General Henry Waverly – commanding yet sensitive. Eric was supported by an outstanding turn from Amelia W as Waverly’s hotel concierge, Martha Watson. As a limelight-starved ex-performer, desperate to ‘strut her stuff’ again, Amelia had some comical scene-stealing moments. At the other end of the spectrum, Liv O gave us sentimentality aplenty as Waverly’s young granddaughter, Susan. The moment where she falls asleep to the lullaby Count Your Blessings and has to be carried off-stage by Eric was one of the many memorable moments.

It’s often true that shows are only as good as their ensembles, and we were certainly in safe hands with ours! An eclectic mix of ‘old hands’ and ‘new recruits’ were the beating heart of the show, mastering complex harmonies in numbers like Snow and even learning to tap dance. (We even had the entirety of L6 Chappel boys come marching out singing The Old Man in a finale cameo as Waverly’s former troops.)

The tone had been set from the very first moment. As the curtains swept back to reveal our sparkling band, decked out in bow ties, high on their classy nightclub balcony, we were treated to a toe-tapping overture of the Irving Berlin classics that thread their way throughout this wonderful show.

In a piece of theatre that celebrates the powerful camaraderie of making theatre, the atmosphere backstage between cast, crew, and band was as magical as the spell being cast onstage for our fabulous audiences. This included Talent Reps from the National School Theatre Awards, and we can’t wait to read their review of the show when it’s published – watch this space!

Well done to all involved – may your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white!